Reid's Never-Ending Trials
by KayRaineMariahAkari
Summary: Reid is having some quality time with Henry, but when an Unsub threatens his godson's life what lengths will Reid go to, to save his Henry?
1. Chapter 1

Reid stared through the window pane of his second story apartment. His face was distant and thoughtful. Next to him lay a stack of books as high as his godson. Speaking of godson, he had meant to call him. Reid's hands flew to the phone and dialed quickly, he needed to hear his small voice.

"'Ello?" Will had answered the phone.

"Will? It's Reid. Can I talk to Henry?" The southern man happily obliged to the request and fumbled with the phone as Henry called in the background.

"Unca 'pence!"

"Hey buddy! How are you?" Reid was instantly lifted three happy moods higher.

"Good! Guess what? I wost a toof! And the toof fairy came and gave me two whole dollars!" His excitement was comforting and for the next hour they continued on a never-ending conversation of random things Henry had done. Finally, Will told Henry it was time to go to bed. They exchanged goodbyes and before Reid clicked the phone off, he heard a fading voice say, "I wov you!"

Reid's day was now complete and he could sleep. His eidetic memory caused him great pain in the last case, the images bouncing around his head unevenly. Henry's voice had banned these and only happy thoughts flooded him. In one last contemplation of what to wear tomorrow, his head hit the pillow and his breathing slowed until he was blissfully asleep.

The next day was different. Something was wrong. Work was normal but he felt a bit...off when he escorted Henry to the park while JJ and Will went on a date night. When they were finished getting sand all over each other, Reid brought Henry back to his place to clean up, have dinner and go to bed so Henry could go to his karate class tomorrow morning.

As Reid laid Henry's sleeping form onto his bed, a slight click noise was heard. He was sure his head was playing into the darkness' trick but he checked the front door anyway. Wide open. Reid didn't think, didn't feel, didn't care. He ran to the bedroom where he had left Henry. His own gun was cocked and pressed against the sleeping child's temple. The man, dressed in all black, smirked.

"Dr. Spencer Reid. If I were you I'd listen to everything I say or little man here might not have any brain matter left." The unsub whispered and chuckled at his own words. Narcissistic. Reid noted.

"I will do anything just leave him out of this." Reid replies shakily. He could deal with normal unsubs but this one was different, this one had his godson.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the reviews and follows and favorites! They tell me to keep going so I shall! **

**I do not (but wished I did) own criminal minds or the characters. **

**But I do own Paul, and Paul's mean, and therefore I disown him for hurting Spencer and little man Henry.**

**Thanks again!**

**(Reid I am so sorry that my mind has so many dark fics for you. I shall make it up to you, Maeve I bring you back to life! Yay, now Reid's happy… okay no more babbling and onward… TO NARNIA! Or Quantico, whichever.)**

* * *

JJ pulled Will into a tight embrace and placed a passionate kiss upon his lips expectedly.

"We should continue this inside." Will forced between the multitudes of kisses JJ planted upon him.

JJ was in a state of ecstasy as they walked slowly through their house and into the master bedroom. Henry wasn't here, something rare, and they were taking advantage of the absence.

"Will, I love you." JJ let out before pushing him onto the bed and removing his shirt. They barely got JJ's jacket off before the phone rang.

"Damn that phone!" Will whispered anxiously to JJ, but it was already too late, she hand the phone pressed to her ear in record time.

"Agent Jareau." She answered.

"Jennifer Jareau?" The voice was unknown and deep. This wasn't a BAU call and it wasn't from a friend.

"Yes?" Her voice quivered as she went through scenarios of why a stranger would be calling her. Will had already leaped to her side and held her from behind in a comforting gesture.

"This is the Virginia state police. Do you know a Mr. Spencer Reid?"

JJ couldn't hold back the automatic correction.

"Dr. Reid." Confirming she did indeed know him.

"At 11 pm we got a call from one of his neighbors that the door was wide open and the apartment was wrecked. When units responded they found a pretty trashed place and some blood in the master bedroom. Your number was on his fridge under in case of emergency."

JJ took a shallow breath in. Spence was missing. Her heart stopped cold.

"There was a little boy with him. His name is Henry Jareau and Dr. Reid was watching him for me this evening."

"There is no evidence of your little boy Mrs. Jareau. I'm afraid he is also a missing person."

JJ dropped the phone. Will had caught the jest of what they were speaking about. He let JJ bury her head into his bare shoulder and sob.

"This is Will, JJ's husband. We'll be there ASAP."

* * *

Reid's body screamed at him. He had managed to incapacitate his kidnapper before they left and although he lost he had managed to fight back. The man had beaten him well but Reid knew that a bruise was forming where he had struck him. Reid's adrenaline was kicked into gear from the moment the man got within five feet of his godson.

Henry lay on his lap but Reid couldn't comfort the crying boy with anything but his words for his arms were held around a column, in the basement they had been taken to, by a strong type of rope that chafed his wrists until they bled.

He longed to hug Henry and stroke his tear soaked face, but he had now fallen asleep and restlessly strung himself on the floor with his head on Reid's leg.

His hair was matted with dirt and blood and when he hung his head it dripped on the floor between his crisscrossed legs. The door to the basement suddenly opened and revealed the unsub.

"Dr. Reid. Are you ready to play the game?" The rough voice called, towering above him.

"What game?" Reid had to ask, he had to keep the attention from Henry.

"The game where you find out if that little boy lives or dies." The giggle after the statement sent a chill down his spine.

"Speechless are we?" Reid clenched his teeth tight before spewing the profanity that threatened to pour out of his mouth.

"Well, well. That's new. This will be such a fun game."

He could see the smile creepily form on the guy's face. He still couldn't see his eyes; all he saw was blackness and a smile he'd like to knock off his face.

"Just let Henry go, I'll stay but please let him go." The plead escaped before he could stop it. This man was a sadist, therefore, he fed on Reid's fear and his pain. Reid was letting this man win.

"No, no then you'd have no incentive. He will stay, and depending on your participation he may or may not get hurt." Reid had stopped listening to the content of the man's speech. He focused all his thoughts on his voice. He'd heard this type of gruff voice before, somewhere. It would be now, when he actually needed it, that his eidetic memory failed. He knew it was due to the slight concussion he had received prior to be taken to this basement.

"Alright, let's start the game, Dr. Reid."

* * *

JJ's mouth was opened slightly, caught in a sob, as they pulled up to the crime scene. She prayed with all her heart that her baby and Spence were not harmed, though she knew this was unlikely. The apartment building was swarming with police officers as well as the rest of the team.

"You were spaced out so I called the team." Will smiled to give JJ the warmth she needed to actually set foot in the apartment.

Morgan put his hand around JJ's shoulders and led her to where Rossi and Hotch were standing in the middle of the living room.

"Reid put up a hell of a fight." Morgan stated when he had fully surveyed the home.

"Yeah, he trashed the entire place… Ok, JJ I want you to go back to the office where Garcia is, Henry is missing as well and I can understand you want to help but you're too emotionally distraught right now. Rossi, you and Morgan go ask around and find some witnesses if there were any. Blake, you and I will speak to the responding officers and see if there are any other indications of communication between Reid and the unsub." They split up and went on with their missions.

"JJ, oh my god! We'll find them, alright, Shhh, it'll be ok." Garcia responded the moment the tear stained, puffy eyed JJ walked into her office. Garcia hugged JJ and suffocated her with love.

"JJ, junior G man won't let anyone hurt Henry, you know that. He's safe." She soothed. That's when JJ snapped and crumpled to the floor in hysterics.

"But what about Spence? Of course he'll protect my baby, but who'll protect him?"

* * *

Reid gasped for air.

His lungs were on fire, raging, trying to stay pumping. Reid had lost count on how many times the man had held his head under the freezing water until no bubbles escaped his mouth.

The man, still in the dark, had challenged him as part of the game. He wanted Reid to stay awake for the brutal drowning until had had been dunked over 20 times, otherwise, if Reid lost consciousness, Henry would suffer.

His eyes were filled with hot tears that kept him from developing hypothermia.

Henry thankfully was not witnessing his uncle being hurt, but he was alone in that dark basement, probably scared to death.

"You're doing better than expected, agent. You must really love him."

That's when the voice hit him. He knew who this was and he knew the lengths this man would go to make Reid suffer.

"Ahh, I can see the look on your face. You remember me. It had been a long time, _Spencer_."

Reid's eyes adjusted when the man, Paul, turned the light on. His face was just as Reid remembered. Shaggy hair all strung about his face, dark brown eyes and an oval like facial structure. He was taller than Reid by about 4 inches and was built close to Morgan's muscle build. He wore khakis and a plain red muscle tee with running sneakers.

"Paul, what do you want?"

"I told you, to play a game and the winner is whoever is alive in the end." Reid contemplated the obvious errors in his "game" as the only one who could die was himself. Paul was finally done after a few more dunks and congratulated him one the first round.

"Think that was easy?" Reid refused to answer while his head swam with dizziness.

"Alright, let's go get that kid of yours, he's gonna play too." Reid snapped out of his trance and yelled loud enough to echo the room.

"You will NOT touch him."

"It's not your place to say is it, Spencer. After all the agony you put me and my family through, you should be thankful I haven't killed him yet."


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again to all my followers, favorites and reviews!**

**Just FYI, I write these when school gets boring so this may continue as a day to day update and it may not… though I wish to make you happy!**

**Many of you noticed the lack of lines to separate the scenes. Truth is, I had them in and fan fiction did not like the ones I chose, so I shall fix Chapter 2 and make the change on this one as well…**

**Alright, enough chit chat, Garcia's yelling at me to let you read already…. **

* * *

The blade cut through Reid's skin tissue and muscle.

10.

10 cuts so far.

Paul had dragged him through the rounds and he was currently on round four. Round two and three had been the process of burning his pale skin with a metal rod and then putting alcohol and lemon juice fluidly over the wounds, causing him the most pain yet.

The burns occupied his torso and biceps, still giving him a searing pain. Regretfully, Paul had taken his shirt and had never returned it.

Reid shivered from the cold in this side room off from the main basement where Henry was wailing for his mom.

Another laceration to his abdomen was in progress when he heard Henry.

"Stop hurting Unca 'Pence! You're a big meanie head! Unca 'Pence is realwee nice and he is my Unca so stop it!" Reid's heart skipped a beat when Henry shouted.

Paul stopped short and went dug deeper into his flesh causing the remorseful strong groan he couldn't hold back.

"That kid is annoying."

Paul left the room and Reid fought the restraints to get to his godson. The rope cut into his wrists but he kept up the endurance. Henry was now screaming bloody murder and that was the last boost Reid needed to break through the ropes and get to Henry.

Reid came to a halt as he saw Henry being held by his shirt and off the ground up to Paul's face.

"I told you to shut up!" Paul's shook Henry violently.

Reid sucked in his breath of anger and plowed into Paul. He thankfully caught Henry from Paul's released grasp before the small child hit the ground as well. The little boy held Reid around the neck so securely, he couldn't breathe.

Reid recovered quickly and made a run for the door, but Paul was quicker. His fist collided with Reid's stomach where the bare, blood oozing wound was freshly inflicted and he couldn't help but double over at the sharp pain.

"Getting brave are we?" Paul sneered.

"You said... You wouldn't hurt him...if I...played and I am...winning." Reid huffed.

"True, I guess I got carried away. Name your demand." Paul admitted to Reid's surprise.

"Demand?"

"Yeah, you can ask for anything except freedom and anything that will help you with the rounds." Gee, not much left to choose, is there?

"Food and water for Henry." He didn't need to think twice. His godson was three, growing rapidly and it had already been two days.

"Alright, done. Then we can move onto round five."

* * *

The office was quiet from all the concentration being admitted toward finding Henry and Reid.

Garcia sat, fingers flying over the keyboard, going off on leads the team had given her. The face of a man popped up on her screen.

"Hotch! I found something!" Garcia called out to the bullpen where the team was profiling. They all scrambled into the cramped room and around the computer.

"Is that Reid's father?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, Reid's been getting a ton of messages from him. They're all threatening too." Garcia clicked the recording on.

_"He's gonna find you Spencer. He's angry. I didn't mean to do this to you but there's no other way. I told him where you were; otherwise he would have killed me. Spencer? Just answer me once. Please! I'm sorry!"_

"That's one hell of a message." Morgan stated.

"Reid doesn't care much for his father, maybe he didn't even listen to the messages." Rossi commented. "One things for sure, Reid knows the unsub." Hotch concluded.

* * *

Reid held his breath to focus on something other than the torture he was receiving.

"Aww, is little Spencer gonna cry?" Paul ushered with another whip of his belt.

Reid was well into round five and Henry was well into his Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.

Paul had hauled him away after Reid had explained to Henry that he was fine and that shouting wasn't a smart idea.

"Never." Reid yelled back as a self-assurance to himself. If he cried, Henry could be harmed. Not going to happen.

"I have to give it to you, I was sure you would have already given up. You must really like that little guy." The hint of pleasure in Paul's voice scared him.

If Reid didn't start to look pitiful, Paul would give up on Reid and move to something more important to make him break.

"Alright, you're done. I need to take a leak and you need to rest for round six." With that Paul led him back to Henry, who hugged his Uncle Spence wholeheartedly. Reid longed to return the gesture but he had been unfortunately retied by Paul before round five.

The minute Paul left a sob escaped Henry's lips.

"Unca 'pence, is he- is he going to kill you?" Henry's baby blue eyes gazed at Reid in disparity.

"Of course not. I wouldn't let that happen now would I. I'll always be here; to protect you."

Henry nuzzled into Reid's chest, which was still bare, and made him warm.

"Henry, I'm going to get you out of here no matter what, so don't worry."

Henry's soft voice flowed into his ears as he drifted to sleep.

"I know. Unca 'Pence always gets the bad guys."

* * *

The call to Reid's father was difficult for JJ to make. She knew she had to do it, she was the media liaison, but because it was Spencer's father and she was nervous.

"William Reid here." The man picked up the phone cheerfully.

"Um, Mr. Reid, this is Agent Jennifer Jareau, I work with Spencer." JJ let out a breath.

"Oh, uh, what can I do for you?" He sounded suddenly nervous.

"Spencer was watching my son and now they're both missing. We heard your messages for Spencer and we would like to know who you were talking about." JJ was confident now, she wanted her baby back.

"Hey, those were personal and besides I have no idea who he is." He was obviously lying; he admitted to one action and denied the other.

"Yes you do! Look my baby and my best friend are missing. I don't care what you're hiding from the rest of the world but you will tell me this man's name." JJ had raised her voice high enough to alert Morgan who stepped into the room.

"Paul Thyland."

With that, William Reid hung up.

JJ burst into Garcia's lair and gave her the name.

"Alrighty, Paul Thyland, Paul Thyland. Oh! Here he is, Paul Thyland, 32 and widowed. His wife died about three years ago but before that there isn't much about him. I don't have anything to link him to Reid."

Morgan sighed, what could have pretty boy done to anger this Paul guy?

* * *

The next visit from Paul wasn't a round, it was spontaneous anger.

He didn't bother to move Reid other than remove him from the column so he could stand. With nowhere to go, Henry watched in horror.

"Henry! Close your eyes." Henry obeyed quickly.

"Ok," Reid's head bounced back from a punch but he kept talking," now cover your ears and sing our song."

Henry's frightened figure listened and he began to sing 'Winnie the Pooh's theme song'.

"You killed them, all of them, you bastard!"

The blows flew from every direction and Reid couldn't even cover his face from the massive trauma.

"It wasn't my fault!" Reid cried out.

"You left them there!" Paul responded.

"I was 12!"

* * *

**Don't kill me! **

**Henry was not harmed in the making of this fan fic!**

**He was just really scared!**

**Besides, JJ is kicking my butt as we speak. **

**Reid is really amazing, isn't he? I've apologized a ton to him but I don't think it makes it any better that I enjoy making him the one who gets tortured all the time….**

**Hmmm… maybe I'll do Morgan next…. (Reid grins)~ Reid is such a sadist, wishing that upon his friend, geez.**

**Anyway, I love reviews and they make me smile and get in trouble at school so keep writing them!**

**Feedback is a must!**

**Also I need an idea of what story to do next so hit me up!**

**Thank you again!**


	4. Chapter 4

Henry breathed out a deep sigh as he lay upon his Uncle Spencer's lap.

Henry was awake and remembering his mommy. She was so warm and gave such beautiful hugs. He let silent tears fall but refused to be loud because his uncle was still sleeping.

He got up and started pacing the small room. He soon got bored and played in the thin layer of dirt covering the ground, drawing his name over and over again.

Henry was afraid. He was afraid his uncle Spence was going to go away. Everytime that man came and got him, his uncle always came back hurt and bleeding.

Henry made a promise to himself that next time he would use some of his karate moves on him so he wouldn't take his uncle spencer; he was a green belt after all.

Uncle spence started to wake so Henry went back to sit on his lap.

"Henry? Have you been awake long?"

"No." He resisted the urge to start crying that he wanted to go home, that would only make uncle spence feel worse.

"Henry..." Uncle spence whispered.

"Yes, Unca 'pence?"

"It's ok to cry and feel sad. Look, I'll do it too." Uncle spence started to cry, he wasn't loud but he was letting huge droplets fall onto the floor.

"It's ok Unca 'pencer." Henry gave his uncle a hug around his neck.

"You're gonna get us outta here, rwight?" His uncle paused and smiled at him.

"Yes, I am. No matter what."

"I wanna help to, I wanna see my mommy and daddy again. Let me help Unca 'pence."

"Alright Henry, I have a plan."

Cmcmcmcmncmcmcmcmcm

Reid stared at his godson. He sure was his little man. He had grown so much since they first met and he was definitely going to go to Yale. He was going to get out along with Reid.

"Ok so here's what we'll do." Reid whispered his plan to Henry who was happy to oblige.

"Oh spencer! Let's play round nine!" Reid's eyes dropped to the tear stained floor.

"Ah, so you are ready. Well lets go then." Paul's smile filtered through Reid's neurons and he knew this was almost over. Whether it may be the death of himself or the death of Paul, he was ready. He had only been 12 when the tragedy happened to him. He hadn't meant for his actions to affect Paul so much that he would later kidnap and torture him.

cmcmcmcm

Morgan stared at the screen at the man who held Reid.

He was big and muscular like himself. He glared through those eyes and prayed for an answer. That's when he saw it.

The tattoo. The shape was that of a fire ablaze and names were engulfed in it. Hey enlarged the photo and read them aloud.

"Maggie, Samuel and Deliah." Morgan instantly called for Garcia and the rest o the team.

"The files were sealed but I managed to hack into them. Margret Thyland and her two children died in 1994 in a house fire that is still Unsolved. Paul was the only survivor and was left widowed and childless. His second wife developed cancer and died as well around three years ago. But what does any o this have to do with Reid?" Garcia rambled.

"Maybe he knew Reid and he was a person who tied into his tragedy." Rossi tried.

"No, this is personal. Reid had a past with Paul. " Hotch responded.

"Let's get the last known address and head over. It's unlikely he's there but it will help us get closer to getting Henry and Reid back." Morgan decided.

JJ's head spun with anticipation. Her baby better be ok. Her Spence better be ok too because if they weren't, this Paul guy would see hell before he knew what hit him.

cmcmcmcm

Reid panted in agony. The shocks were excruciating.

The wires clung to the skin of his diaphragm making each electrical wave take another breath from his body.

"Now, now. You can do this can't you?" Paul chuckled. Reid would like to see him switch with him and see how long he'd last.

"Paul..."

"Shut up!" Paul shouted back with his fist landing on Reid's cheekbone. He was in a mood swing again and this made Reid second guess his plan.

"You took them from me!" Paul twisted Reid's arm causing a burning sensation in his shoulder joint.

"It was an accident! No one-" Paul slapped Reid's face and instantly made him silent.

"No, you did it on purpose and now they're dead. DEAD!" The next electrical shock gave Reid no warning and he blacked out before his muscles even had time to tense.

cmcmcmcm

Rossi glanced around the empty room.

"There's nothing in this room at all, not even paint." He told Hotch who walked in.

"Every other room was being used but this one. He held something here." Hotch walked along the wall and knocked until he found the sound.

"It's hallow." Rossi trotted over. Morgan brought the hammer and they hacked away

"Holy..." Morgan looked in horror at the contents.

In the small sealed of room there were pictures of Reid. Reid at work , Reid with Henry, Reid with members of the team. Reid in his apartment. Morgan's face contorted with rage. This man was out to get Reid, determined. He just hoped they weren't too late.

"Look, there's a newspaper article about the fire." JJ pointed out. The team read from the paper and each expression slowly turned sour.

_'Local boy saves mother and man from fire. Man's wife and children found dead.'_

cmcmcmcm

Reid came to slowly. His head felt like heavy iron and his body was in fire. Paul lay in the corner, crying about his wife and children he lost so long ago.

Reid tried to sit up but the restraints on his wrists left his skin chaffed instead. Silently Paul rose. He unhooked Reid and led him down the corridor unsteadily. Paul opened the door, shoved Reid down and called for Henry.

"Come on little one! I just want to play!" Reid's eyes widened. Paul had broken. He'd snapped. He was now in a full psychopathic mission to make Reid's life a living hell. And he was going to if he found Henry.

"You leave my Unca pence alone!" The shrill voice of the toddler called from the darkness. Before Paul had time to register the command, he was hit in the back of the knees with a pipe.

Reid smiled when he realized the plan had worked. Although Henry was not as strong as an adult, he knew where to hit to make his opponent fall. Henry used a lightning reflex to also chop Paul's unsuspecting form in the throat causing the grown man to sputter for breath. Reid scooped Henry up and ran out the door as Paul lay gasping and cursing.

Reid made it through the house and out the door. Then he faced a problem. A forest surrounded them, in all directions.

They were on their own.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, I know. Over a month. You all have permission to kill me in the slowest most terrifying way possible…. I'm sorry. **

***Reid taps his foot.**

"**You kept them waiting **_**this **_**long? Are you trying to kill their feels?**

"**No…"**

***Out of nowhere, Gibbs comes and slaps me upside the head.**

"**Get it together kid!"**

**(FYI NO ONE messes with Gibbs….or defies his orders…cuz….well…he's Gibbs.)**

**I have a surprise for you!**

**A of sorts…**

**I have another chapter to [\put up tomorrow!**

**I know..I know. Nothing for a month and then…POOF.. 2 chapters in two days.**

**Ok…rant over.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Reid or Henry or any of the other kick ass FBI agents and their show. And were all sad.**

**But I am ashamed to own Paul.**

* * *

Reid's feet pounded upon the forest floor harshly. Henry was clutching his neck and digging his feet into his bruised sides, but his only thought was to get Henry away from Paul.

He continued to sprint through the darkened woods despite the pain it brought upon his entire ran and ran until; finally, he couldn't run anymore.

"Is the bad guy chasing us?" Henry panted as if he'd also been running.

"I'm not sure." Reid closed his eyes and listened for feet of twigs snapping and found none.

"I think we lost him, buddy. You are the bravest boy I've ever met! You did so well!" Reid and Henry sat in a relived embrace for several minutes.

"Ok let's keep walking for a little longer. See that star?" Reid pointed to the brightest one shining over them.

"We're going to follow that one because it will take us north." His godson nodded and promptly followed Reid to his feet.

Henry clutched his uncle's hand like it was the only thing keeping him for death.

* * *

The team rode in silence.

They had a location, Paul's summer cottage south of Quantico toward the border. Morgan sucked in a wavering breath, his only thought to make Paul pay. The thought of Reid defenseless was too much to bear. Although he knew Henry was there as well, he was sure pretty boy had protected him from any harm.

They approached the house slowly; guns Hotch's blunt orders for JJ to stay in the car, she was right beside Rossi ready to kick Paul's ass.

They didn't give a warning knock and Morgan kicked down the door.

"Paul Thyland! Police! Come out with your arms raised!" Morgan thundered throughout the house.

When no response came he and the rest of the team went on the search for their missing by one the word 'clear' was called from each room, making Hotch doubt their crept down to the basement whose door was ajar and a darkened presence he ascended down the antique stairs he called for the others.

"It's pitch black in here." Rossi commented before a local officer handed flashlights to the members of the team.

Once the light flickered on they were met with a horrific sight.

A blood trail started from one of the three rooms and climbed the stairs they were just on. They immediately followed it toward the back, unknowing it was leading out instead of in.

In the room, JJ gasped.

A table stood alone in the middle of the room, stained almost completely with a dark crimson substance they knew was Reid's the wall and surrounding floor were tools tainted by what could only be Spencer Reid's blood.

Hotch took no time to realize the blood trail was the thickest in the room and was rapidly decreasing in the opposite direction. The blood spatter showed that Reid had been running away from the gave the rest of the team the sign that he was on a lead.

Following the trail up the stairs and through the kitchen, he made it to the back door.

"Reid made it out, he escaped." Hotch commented.

"Then where's Paul?" Morgan sneered.

"He followed them." Rossi mumbled as he pointed his head to the larger footprints indented in the mud, leading to the forest.

* * *

Reid knew he was fading. His body protested against the any movements he made.

Henry sat next to his godfather, crying. He wouldn't get up. He hadn't for over an hour.

"Unca pence please! Wake up!"

Reid could hear Henry's pleas but his eyes wouldn't open and his brain didn't connect with his mouth. He tries to lift an arm to comfort him only to be answered by a sharp pain that thundered up his side.

A jagged breath entered his chest and he knew. He knew he was dying.

The infection, starvation and dehydration were setting fought it. He had to. Henry was still there, scared to death.

But, he was losing.

"Ohhhhhh Spencceerrrrrr!" A branch nearby snapped suddenly bring Spencer out of his agonizing stupor.

Reid immediately forced back a panic attack.

Paul had found them and he was close.

Abruptly, his heart stopped beating.


	6. Chapter 6

JJ and the rest of the team wondered about the forest, searching. It had been close to an hour and several miles deep before they all heard the scream.

Henry's scream.

JJ darted without thinking. All her focus was on her son. Morgan followed hot on her heels.

"Henry!?" She called out to her baby.

"MOMMY!" His shriek was pained.

The darted under some brush and over tree roots to where Paul loomed over an unconscious Reid and a very frightened Henry.

"Paul Thyland, put down the gun. It's over." Rossi called, weapon drawn.

"Over? OVER! You think this is over? This is only the start of what I had in store for this bastard! He left them and saved me! My wife! My children! Why? They deserved to live not me! And this little jerk was the one who made the decision that ruined my life!" Paul panted and sweat poured down his forehead.

"He didn't have a choice." Morgan, who was going to kill this man either way, shouted.

"It was all his choice!"

"No! It was you or no one. Haven't you ever read the reports? Reid DID try to save them but they were already dead Paul." Paul's eyes widened.

"I heard them crying, they were alive!" He denied.

"No, that was the effect of your subconscious. They had already passed from excessive smoke inhalation. He tried, but you were the only one he could save. And then he even brought you back to life! And this is how you repay him?!" Morgan was furious now.

Paul started to sob.

"I don't care! He ruined my life!"

Then it was a blur.

A small whimper came from Henry as the gun pointed in their general direction.

Morgan and JJ shouted for him to drop the gun.

And in one swift move hitch and Rossi darted for Paul.

But the one who saved the day was none of them.

It was the critically injured man, sprawled lifelessly at the edge of Paul's feet, who heard Henry's cries of desperate help.

Reid gathered all he could; his last breath from a chest that had already stopped heaving and a lasting beat that would be his end and kicked Paul's feet out from under him.

At the same moment Hotch and Rossi tackled him.

Henry's shriek was blood curdling when the gun went off randomly.

JJ quickly scooped up her baby and held his petrified frame close to her and wept.

Meanwhile, Morgan knelt next to Reid.

"Hey pretty boy."

No response from Reid led to him shaking Reid's shoulder violently.

"Come on Reid! Wake up!"

Morgan bent and put a war to his best friend's chest. He heard nothing.

He quickly fumbled two fingers to the choroid artery where no heart pumps were heard.

"We need medics now!" Morgan shouted into the night air.

Rossi quickly radioed a bus and promptly let Paul "trip" over a branch as they walked toward the other accompanying police officers.

As they seemed to wait an eternity for medics to arrive, a strangled scream of despair left JJ's mouth.

In her emotional reunion with her son she had failed to notice.

Henry had been shot in the struggle.

The once loud boy had become docile and limp in his mother's arms.

The bullet had made its way into Henry's abdomen and he was rapidly diminishing.

"Henry! Henry wake up baby! Listen to mommy!" JJ yelled desperately as Henry began to sink into darkness.

* * *

The paramedics had finally arrived and because of Henry's unknown injury, had to load both ill boys in the same ambulance.

They had been performing CPR on Reid for at least ten minutes.

The team stated in horror as another shock was administered in between pumps.

"360! Clear!"

Reid's body spasmed under the electrical current but didn't respond.

The other gurney that held the small Henry was covered in blood. In seeped through the blanket that covered his lower extremities and dripped on the floor.

Henry was stable but he was losing a lot of blood.

Morgan glared at the scene with disgust. He was going to kill Paul. No doubt.

If either of them died, Paul would learn the meaning of real pain, real distress.

He held the distraught JJ and let her tears hit his shoulder blade.

Because they had to load both of the victims in that same ambulance, no one could ride with them.

JJ broke.

She fell to her knees and screamed at nothing. Morgan and Rossi helped her to the car that had pulled up, the one containing the only one who could truly comfort her, Garcia.

She promised to meet them at the hospital and they took off.

Reid's heart was still dormant. They shocked him the fifth time and continued CPR.

"Reid, you better wake up or I'm going to fire you!" Hotch hollered at the young agent. Even he let the tears stream freely.

It seemed hope was lost.

Finally after twenty minutes they announced this would be the last shock he would give the man.

"You can't just give up! You have to save him!" Morgan protested through sobs.

The paramedic just shook his head and turned to give Reid one last chance.

As the last shock was given, Henry's monitor flat lined and gave the ominous extended low tone beep that signified that his life was now in serious danger.

* * *

**Please no one kill me...**


	7. Chapter 7

JJ sat at the hospital. Garcia squeezed her tightly as they waited for the boys and the rest of the team to arrive.

"What's taking them so long?!" JJ snapped.

Garcia's gaze held intense fear, both for JJ's sanity and her doubt of the boys' safety.

Will strode in confidently shortly after the outburst. He was fine until he saw the complete despair across his wife's face. He sat quickly and took her in his arms.

"Hey, it'll be alright. The boys are tough, Henry's got your strength and Spencer has the wisdom for enough power of a thousand professors, they won't give up easily. Baby, it's ok." He soothed as he rubbed Jennifer's back.

Garcia stared at the couple adoringly. She hadn't been able to calm JJ down for the last hour and the minute Will walked in, she was more comfortable.

They sat and waited for the news whether good or bad.

* * *

The world was silent. He couldn't hear anything or see anyone. He couldn't move and he couldn't talk. He felt nothing, floating in the abyss wherever it was.

He was afraid.

Where was Paul? Where was Henry? We're they saved? Had he failed?

Reid struggled to open his iron heavy eyelids. Finally, he heard yelling. And crying. And a beep low enough and long enough to scare him to death.

He slowly used all his energy to open his eyes. Squinting, he saw someone hovering over him.

He panicked. They hadn't been saved and they hadn't escaped. It had all been a dream. There was Paul, right above him, ready to add more agony to his breaking body.

He shook violently and reluctant tears fell like a waterfall down his cheeks

"Relax, kid. It's me. Derek. Pretty boy, calm down! It's just me!" Reid knew that voice. He knew it well. It was his best friend's voice.

"M-m-mor-Morgan?" He stuttered.

"Yeah kiddo it's me. Don't you ever scare me like that again!" He was elated. He was with friends and he was safe.

The beep came back, humming through his head.

"Henry?" He tried to sit up, to locate his godson, to be sure he was ok.

"Whoa there. You need to lie down."

"Hen-Henry!" He shouted.

He managed to struggle in Morgan's grasp and peer behind his friend's shoulder.

Henry, covered in blood, his blood, was being revived and by the look of it, they were failing. The small boy's body was shocked and jerked up and landed with a thud. Reid saw a hole in Henry's abdomen, the source of the blood.

He cried. He couldn't stop the tears. Henry was so small, so innocent. He couldn't die.

He's rather die than see that day.

"Reid, breathe. I know it's hard but we need you to breathe." He heard his boss's voice. He wouldn't look away. He wouldn't listen.

"Henry! Wake up! Come on! Henry I promised you! I promised I'd get you out and back to your mom and dad. Please Henry!" He screamed uncontrollably.

"Spencer..." Morgan sighed.

"I promised him! I promised to keep him safe! I promised!" Reid cried out.

He passed out from the sedative the paramedic had to give him before he made his heart stop again.

By now, a second ambulance had arrived, where they put Reid, immediately racing to the hospital, Morgan alongside him.

"We got a pulse!" A paramedic called out.

Hotch stared at the pale boy lying still on the stretcher.

He flashed to Jack, almost afraid it was his own son dying.

"I'll ride with him, I'll meet you at the hospital David."

Now, Henry was on his way to get medical attention.

* * *

Garcia was the first to notice the clamor of noise as the paramedics brought in a patient. Thankful she looked, she shook JJ awake.

"It's Reid." She whispered to the fragile woman.

Jennifer immediately jumped up and ran towards the stretcher.

"Ma'am we need you to stay back." The burly medic grunted.

Reid laid there, peace behind his sleeping eyes. His body was a different story.

They had already cut off his shirt to examine the damage and JJ instantly wished she'd looked away. The marks were numerous tracked about his body like footprints.

The long jagged cuts decorated his chest. The circular burns to his sides were blistering and the bruises were vibrant.

JJ's sadden eyes roamed, and stopped when she saw his hand. It held a piece of Henry's shirt, probably snagged on a branch when they were running.

She suddenly went cold. Where was her son?

"Where's Henry?"

* * *

Hotch rode silently with Henry's limp form. The monitor beeped rhythmically with his heart beat. He was losing too much blood for Hotch's liking. They were almost there.

Suddenly, the heart monitor beeped too fast.

"His blood pressure is too low! He's hypertensive!" The beep was back.

"He's in v-fib, starting CPR!"

They arrived, Henry still unstable. They hurried out of the ambulance and through the doors.

When JJ saw the sight, she fainted. Luckily Will caught her before she was injured.

Hotch was told to stay in the waiting room where Rossi, Garcia, a now unconscious JJ and a distraught Morgan sat. They waited. They waited for answers, for news, for anything.

This was the hard part.


	8. Chapter 8

Reid's body was heavy as lead. He remembered Morgan and being in an ambulance, but much after that is a blur.

He tried to open his eyes, struggled to make his eyelids even twitch. He heard a response to his attempted movement.

"Whoa, kid, take it easy." He had barely moved, but Rossi's voice of concern made him relax.

He finally was able to open one eye enough to see the occupants of the room. Rossi, Morgan and Hotch stood in various tense poses around his bed.

He went to tell them all to relax, but found a tube stopping him and uncomfortably breathing for him.

"Sorry pretty by, you were have trouble breathing on your own. The doctors didn't want to take any chances." Morgan sighed as he strolled closer to Reid. Reid had so many questions.

"I know, here." Morgan handed him a pad of paper and a pencil and despite the protest from his dormant arm, he wrote.

_Where is Henry?_

"Henry is in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; a stray bullet went into his abdomen and hit his liver and stomach cavity."

Reid's wince was painful to see and the tears were even more heart wrenching.

_Will he be Ok?_

"They're not sure yet kiddo, he's…..he's in a coma." Rossi explained.

Reid felt his heart burst. He failed to protect his godson. His little man, whom kept him going was in the balance of life and death because of something Reid did when he was young. He wished he'd let Paul die that day. He wished he'd hid Henry and he would have been safe and he wished…he wished…

"Reid! It's not your fault! Hey! It's ok…" Morgan took Reid in his arms, though reluctant to the sudden comfort, and hugged him as he cried.

* * *

JJ's head rested on the side of her son's hospital bed, heart monitor rhythmically playing in her ears. Her eyes were permanently tear stained and no amount of tissues would cure her runny nose.

Her baby lay with dozens of wires and cords connected to his body and hooked to machines, something she hated. She hated that her baby had to be fed through a tube because the bullet messed up his stomach, she hated that he needed five IV's at once to keep his hydrated and healthy, and she especially hated the fact that her baby had been asleep for two weeks.

She just wanted Henry to wake up and run and play like a 3 year-old should.

She hadn't been able to leave Henry's side except to go to the bathroom, so when she heard of Reid's awakening she was torn.

"Baby, I'll be right here with him." Will assured his wife.

"What if he wakes up and I'm not here, what if he thinks I didn't look for him, what if…" JJ panicked.

"What if," Will cut in, "Reid wanted to hear and see from his friend after being in the abyss for 2 weeks?"

JJ sighed at Will's accuracy and stepped out of Henry's room for the first time in weeks.

When she made it to his room, Reid was in a slightly slanted position, eyes wide at JJ's form.

JJ took him in and scanned her friend. He had bandages around three out of four limbs, no shirt, exposing large gauze covered wounds, three IV's, a breathing tube (Like Henry's) and a completely bruised body. She expected him to look better after having two weeks to heal, but the sight was too much because she began to give tears she didn't think she still had.

Reid's eyes darted to Morgan then back to JJ and on cue Morgan went to give JJ emotional support.

_JJ it's ok, looks worse than it feels._ Reid wrote for JJ's comfort.

She gave him a light hug and stood back and gave a little update on Henry.

"The doctor is going to take him of one of the sedation medications in hopes he will wake up, but if he doesn't she doesn't know when he will, it's up to Henry."

_I want to see him._

"You're not strong enough Reid, the doctor will never allow it, not with the tube." Hotch responded. His face dropped.

"It's a good idea." JJ countered. They all stared at her.

"Reid and Henry have a bond, if he hears Reid's voice, it may give him enough to wake when you get the tube out, I want you to see him." She stated firmly.

Reid's nod gave everyone hope for Henry's health.

* * *

Henry wouldn't wake up. It' had been another week and a half and he wouldn't even twitch. The breathing tube invading Reid's throat refused to come out as well due to his unstable breathing patterns.

Reid read book after book and lay awake night after night, waiting. He waited for Henry to wake up and for everything to be normal, before Paul ever happened.

He hated sleeping, he had nightmares of Paul hurting Henry and grotesquely killing him, his subconscious mind taunting him with fears that would never become a reality but still frightened him enough to make him wake, heart pounding, dripping sweat and breathing erratic.

"Reid, are you alright?" Hotch inquired after yet another nightmare jerked him awake. He nodded, not wanting to seem weak in front of his boss.

"Reid, you don't have to pretend your some tough, non-feeling guy, ok? You've been through a lot and none of it makes you any less of a man than you were."

Reid tried to keep the tears back, but they came anyway. They were controlled and slow, the show of respect that Hotch gave him was overwhelming to him and he took a moment to accept it.

_Henry needs to wake up._

"I know, but you need to take your time as well. He's stable and comfortable. He knows everyone is here, JJ talks to him non-stop."

_Tube out._

"Not yet."

_Now._

"Sorry Spencer, but it's not safe yet."

At that moment Rossi burst in the room.

"Paul has escaped."


End file.
